Vital - Book 1 (On hold: to be rewritten)

8. The Box Theory

Alec, Cara and Hale arrived half an hour later. Alec was shouting into his phone, pacing up and down the kitchen.

“Yes. No. Mum-”. He sighed irritably. 

“No, there is nothing to worry about, really.”

Pause.

“Mum, please!”

Pause.

“We’re fine, really.”

Pause.

“It was Lucinda Darknight. Serana’s mother. Remember? Look, Mum, we’re fine. I’ll call you back if there’s a problem.”

He flicked the phone off and slid it into his pocket. He rubbed his temples. 

“Mum being annoying?” Cara brushed passed him, ham sandwich in her hand. She left the kitchen.

“Just because you don’t see eye to eye with her, there’s no need to take your anger out on us!” He yelled after her.

There was a silence in the kitchen. 

She was dreading the answer, but she asked the question that she’d been dying to ask for ages.

“Did she-that woman-is she…?” She trailed off, looking at her feet.

Alec nodded. His face was ashen. “Kinda well known, too. She is…was in charge of the city records. She knew everything about everyone.”

“That’s why they took her. Because she knew where I’d be,” Wren whispered, the guilt and disgust at herself gnawing at her stomach.

“Oh, but Alec, you haven’t mentioned that you knew her even better than that,” said Leo from the top of the kitchen stairs. Wren hadn’t noticed him come in. “I see your bemused look, Wren. Prepare to know all.” He grinned.

“Leo don’t you dare-”

“Lucida Darknight was Serena Darknight’s mother. Aka, Alec’s girlfriend’s mother!”

“Leo! Stop talking now.” Alec had gone from white to bright red.

“ALEC AND SERENA SITTING IN A TREE! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” Leo sung at the top of his voice, laughing as he did. 

“I am going to kill you!” Alec chased Leo up the stairs and out of the kitchen. Leo’s laughs echoed through the house.

“This is all my fault,” said Wren dropping her face into her hands.

“What? Of course it’s not,” said Hale, who had been watching the proceedings from the corner of the kitchen.

“Yes, it is. The only reason there were Darklings in Layken today was because they’re looking for me. My father wants me and thinks he’ll be able to get to me by harming the people of Layken. I have to go!”

“No! Wren please, you can’t go! Do you know what they’ll do to you? You’d be stupid to leave now.”

Wren felt a bizarre surge of white hot anger.

“You think you own me, now that I’m living in your house! You think you can control me and tell me what to do! You speak to me like a child! I am not your property, Hale Blackthorn and I am not stupid. Nor am I in anyway venerable, like I’m the subject of a stupid game you’re playing! In case you forgot, I spent seven years making sure I lost all my venerability so I couldn't be hurt or couldn't make myself the object of someone’s stupid, hurtful games. Because I am in no way worth it.”